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“There they are.” Mick pointed to the door.
Corey turned and saw the duo enter the hall. Shane’s face was lit up like a Christmas tree. His brother’s arm was around Belle, who had a completely different look than Shane. She looked somber.
Where have they been? What did they do? If he only went by what Shane looked like alone then there was no doubt what had happened.
He’s had sex. But why did Belle look so serious? What was going through her mind?
I hope Shane didn’t push her into something she wasn’t ready for.
When her eyes locked on his, she smiled weakly and he felt his gut tighten.
“Hey, bro.” Shane waved at him, smiling from ear to ear. They walked over to him. “How was your shift?”
“Uneventful.” Corey grabbed Belle’s hands. “Don’t forget that you promised me and Juan and the other boys to join us tomorrow for Cody’s next dragon hunting ride. That will be eventful for sure.”
“How can I forget? You and the boys won’t let me.”
“It’s because we’re all crazy about you. How about a piece of apple pie, darlin’?”
She nodded. “I hope you like it. No promises.”
Corey wanted to have a moment alone with Shane to get to the bottom of what had happened between him and Belle. Filling his plate was all the excuse he needed.
Shane grabbed her hand. “Have you eaten Mom’s stuffing yet? It’s scrumdiddlyumptious.”
Corey fixed his hot stare on Shane. Was his brother aware of how Belle was feeling? Shane usually could sense so much in anyone. Why is he not seeing how torn up Belle is? “Where have you two been?”
“Shane took me to your parents’ land.” The light returned to her eyes. “It is so beautiful up there.”
Corey decided to prod a little. He needed to uncover what was troubling her. “Did you have a good time?”
She nodded and smiled. “We did.”
They definitely had sex. She seemed fine with that. So, what else could be troubling her?
“I’ve only got a half hour before I have to take Black’s place at the clinic.” Shane pulled out a chair for Belle. “Let me get us dessert. I want to have at least one dance with you before I have to leave.”
She smiled. “I’d like that.”
“We’ll be back, beautiful.” As they got out of her earshot, Corey turned to his brother. “What the hell is going on?”
Shane shrugged. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You’re the mind reader in our family. How can you be so blind? Belle is upset about something. It’s as plain as day.”
“I really don’t want to go into it now, bro.”
“Tough. Clearly you do know she’s troubled by something. I know you had sex. What happened to upset her?”
“The sex was incredible. She and I were like teenagers. We both gave in to our desires and it was wonderful. Nothing like it has ever happened to me before.” Shane turned to him, his face filled with reverence and gravity. “I care about Belle. I think she could be the one for us.”
Trying to slow Shane down was going to take some effort, but he knew it had to be done. His brother wasn’t ready to jump right into a serious relationship, no matter how wonderful Belle was. “That still doesn’t explain why she is so unsettled.”
Shane sighed. “I forgot to use protection because I was so lost in the moment. She said it didn’t matter, not to worry. But her mood immediately took a turn from sunny to gloomy.”
“Damn it, Shane. No wonder she’s upset. What if she’s pregnant? Then what?”
“I told her that it would make me the happiest man in the world, and I meant every word of it.”
